Abstract

Maximum parsimony and maximum likelihood phylogenetic trees were constructed for 21 taxa of Lophozia s. str. and the related genera, Schistochilopsis (5 species), Protolophozia elongata, and Obtusifolium obtusum based on combined nuclear ITS1-2 and chloroplast trnL-F DNA sequences. The trees were characterized by similar topology. It was demonstrated that the genus Lophozia s. str. was monophyletic, excluding L. sudetica, which deserved isolation into a distinct cryptic genus. The species distribution among the clades disagreed with the sections distinguished based on anatomical and morphological data. The relationships within the genus Schistochilopsis were consistent with the sectioning of the genus, based on morphological characters. Analysis of molecular data provided more precise definition of the systematic position of a number of taxa. A low level of genetic divergence of geographically distant forms was demonstrated.